Salix Exigua Nutt. Var. Hindsiana (Benth.) Dorn, NARROW-LEAVED WILLOW, HINDS’ WILLOW, SANDBAR WILLOW
Salix exigua Nutt. var. hindsiana (Benth.) Dorn, NARROW-LEAVED WILLOW, HINDS’ WILLOW, SANDBAR WILLOW. Shrub, winter-deciduous, clonal, erect-stemmed with ascending lower branches, terminal twigs whiplike and flexible, in range typically < 400 cm tall; dioecious; shoots arising from winter buds first producing several leaves then 1 or 2 inflorescences, on new growth densely silvery tomentose-sericeous becoming glabrescent; buds on dormant stems appressed, tongue-shaped or ovoid, 1.8−3 mm long, swelling prior to flowering, the bud scale caplike, tomentose becoming glabrescent, having margins fused but not ridged; horizontal roots producing shoots or new individuals (soboliferous). Stems: cylindric with 1 low ridge descending from each leaf, straight, not glaucous; young twigs orange-brown or reddish brown aging brown; leaf scars narrowly crescent-shaped having 3 conspicuous traces. Leaves: helically alternate, simple, short- petiolate or subsessile, without stipules; petiole 0.5–5 mm long; blade linear or narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 22−100 × 1.8−8 mm, symmetrically broadly tapered to long-tapered at base, entire to remotely toothed (short-dentate) on margins, acute to acuminate at tip, pinnately veined with conspicuous midrib raised on upper surface and platformlike on lower surface, sericeous and silvery green when young. Inflorescences: unisexual catkins, terminal, with vegetative shoots arising at base, emerging from winter buds with or after leaves, ascending, spikelike, with many alternate flowers, bracteate, villous. Staminate inflorescence: catkin (ament) cylindric, 6–30 × 5.5–8 mm, with 13– 70+ flowers; peduncle 1.5–5 mm long, densely tomentose to villous; rachis villous; bract (bractlet) subtending flower (“floral bract”) ovate to obovate, 1.6–2 × 0.9–1 mm, light yellowish green with whitish margins, the margins incurved, acute to obtuse or truncate with rounded, toothed, or jagged edge, parallel-veined on lower surface, villous-tomentose on margins and near the base on lower surface.
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